Notes from a Sojourn
May 22, 2020
Between and Betwixt
Yesterday we celebrated the Ascension of the Lord and most preaching this Sunday will center around this Feast. The next celebration in the church year will be Pentecost that takes place next Sunday where we will celebrate the power of the Holy Spirit given to the disciples to continue Jesus’ work here on earth. But what about that time in-between; that time when Jesus has left them, but they have not received this power; that time of uncertainty, fear, questioning, and anxiety. That time where they are between and betwixt what has been and what is to come. We call this Liminal Space. The time between what we have always known or become comfortable with and knowing that something new is about to happen or at least our world is or has changed, but we are in limbo.
Many in the world today are living in this space as the pandemic has changed everything. Many are learning how to work differently while others are learning how to continue school in a whole new manner and are not sure what these environments will look like in the future. Religious leaders are learning how to “do” church and all that it encompasses in a whole new way and are not sure what the future holds for “doing” church. Peoples lives have been put on hold for nearly two months and as they return, it will not be the same, and may never be, as what they knew previously. Weddings, funerals, baptisms, and all celebrations have been postponed and what will happen and how they look in the future can only be supposed at this point. This liminal space has impacted everyone in one degree or another and in most cases, many degrees.
What is our response and how do we understand this? For some, it has brought out the worst. They are angry, irritable, rude, selfish, self-centered, and generally miserable. They have difficulty in the unknown and the uncertain and lash out at others thinking that this will somehow regain some stability for them only to realize that hurting others only hurts themselves. Others become depressed, sad, withdrawn, and lonely. Again, they struggle with a lack of equilibrium in the unknown and are unsure how to regain perspective. Others try to continue on with as much normalcy as possible depending on faith and hope to buoy them in the sea of the unknown. All of these are character traits that seem to be amplified in times of uncertainty and despair, and help us to understand our humanness and brokenness in trying times. But there is hope.
Paul says in his letter to the Philippians,
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
In this time of liminal space, the one thing we can all do is pray and trust that our God will hear our petitions. This is a time to actually grow closer to God and spend time with him getting to know him more intimately. It is a time for discerning what his will for us is or will be in the future. It is a time to read and study his Word that we might have better understanding of who the true God of Love is and wants for all of us in humanity. It is time for us to self-reflect and become the people we want to be, but more importantly, become the people God wants us to be. We can learn about ourselves, others, the world and how we will fit and interact in moving forward in our Christian lives. And God’s peace will guide us into all understanding and keep us safe in Christ Jesus.
One of my favorite authors, Richard Rohr, says this, “In liminal space we sometimes need to not-do and not-perform according to our usual successful patterns. We actually need to fail abruptly and deliberately falter to understand other dimensions of life. We need to be silent instead of speaking, experience emptiness instead of fullness, anonymity instead of persona, and pennilessness instead of plenty. In liminal space, we descend and intentionally do not come back out or up immediately. It takes time but this experience can help us re-enter the world with freedom and new, creative approaches to life.”
This between and betwixt can be wasted time or greatly enriching time depending on how and what we choose.
What do you choose?
Mark Lewis
Parish of South Dundas